November 13, 2017: Day 84 – Esther 8

There is a lot in this Scripture, but there is one thing which I want to be sure that you are able to identify.  Notice how far the edict to reverse the original edict went out.  From India all the way to Ethiopia.  Look at a map and you will see how expansive this territory is.  The fact that I want you to focus on is how widespread the people of Israel were at that time.  Even to this day there will be synagogues in Ethiopia and in India which could have been around in that day as well.  The history of the Jewish people is incredibly rich and it is vital to recognize that God’s people have been around a long, long time.

So the storyline pretty much finds its end in this chapter.  Mordecai is given everything that at one time belonged to Haman from his property to his robes to the king’s ring.  The decree allowed the Jews to defend themselves.  What an incredible decree.  If it had not been passed then they would have been forced to submit to whatever atrocities their neighbors wanted to commit against them.  It makes me think of the Rohingya in our modern day reality which are a stateless people who are persecuted wherever they find themselves.